The Division of Charitable Solicitations and Gaming has a new name. Effective July 1, it’s now the Division of Charitable Solicitations, Fantasy Sports and Gaming. The division's new title is a result of the Fantasy Sports Act of 2016 approved by the General Assembly and signed into law in April.

Effective July 1, 2015, specific labeling guidelines are required for non-profit organizations, for-profit organizations and professional solicitors operating donation bins in Tennessee, which provide donors with multiple ways to contact the organization(s) that are collecting donations. The law also requires that bin operators get notarized permission for placement from property owners and leaseholders. Each bin must be emptied every two weeks, and any items left outside must be removed within 24 hours. Failure to comply means the bin itself must be removed. Violators could face a civil penalty. A copy of the new law, Public Chapter Number 221, which amends Tennessee Code Annotated § 48-101-513 can be found at: http://sos.tn.gov/charitable/donation-bins
People can now snap a photo of any donation bin in Tennessee, and post it to Twitter, Facebook or Instagram using the hashtag “#BinCheck” as a way to report a bin in question to the Division of Charitable Solicitations and Gaming. Posts should also include the bin’s approximate location, including city, county and business it may be near. The public can always call the division at (615) 741-2555 or go to http://sos.tn.gov/charitable/donation-bins for more information.

Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett, Tennessee Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery, III, along with the Federal Trade Commission and agencies from all 50 states obtained a permanent injunction to dissolve two nationwide sham cancer charities and ban their president from profiting from any future charity fundraising. Cancer Fund of America Inc. (CFA), Cancer Support Services Inc. (CSS) and their leader, James Reynolds, Sr., agreed to settle charges that CFA and CSS claimed to help cancer patients, but spent the overwhelming majority of donations on their operators, families, friends and fundraisers. More here: http://sos.tn.gov/news/fake-cancer-charities-shutdown-leader-agrees-lifetime-ban

Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett, Tennessee Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery, III, together with state law enforcement partners in every other state in the nation, the District of Columbia, and the Federal Trade Commission, have jointly filed a federal lawsuit against four phony cancer charities and their operators with strong roots in East Tennessee, who allegedly scammed more than $187 million from consumers throughout the country.